NASA Executes First Medical Evacuation from Space Station

Update:

All four astronauts who returned early from the International Space Station are safe, and the crew member whose medical issue prompted the evacuation is “doing fine,” NASA said Thursday. The astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 3:41 a.m. ET after leaving the station about a month earlier than planned. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the situation in orbit was “serious” but emphasized the affected crew member has remained stable, adding that the early return was made out of an abundance of caution.

NASA is conducting the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

The four-person Crew-11 will splash down off the coast of California on January 15 after an unidentified astronaut suffered a medical issue. NASA hasn't identified the astronaut or the medical issue, citing privacy concerns. The space agency has said that crew member is stable.

As NASA prepares for this historic first that nobody wanted, the crew onboard stuck to tradition with an early handover ceremony and doubled down on efforts to reassure everyone back on Earth that they are "all OK."

Early Handover Ceremony

On Monday, January 12, a space station handover ceremony was held, marking an early transition between the current Crew-11 and the yet-to-launch Crew-12.

"One part of us are getting ready to leave this beautiful space station, and another part is getting ready to take over full command and get ready for another Dragon crew to come. These are interesting times," said Crew-11 Pilot Mike Fincke during opening remarks.

Fincke handed over the key to the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

NASA crews usually stay onboard until the following crew arrives. But NASA decided the safest option was to bring the crew home as soon as possible. Now the four astronauts are set to undock Wednesday, January 14 and splash down off the coast of California early Thursday, January 15.

It is the first medical evacuation in the 25-year history of the ISS.

Crew Reassurances

"First and foremost, we are all OK. Everyone on board is stable, safe, and well cared for. This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists," Fincke wrote in a January 11 LinkedIn post. "It's the right call, even if it's a bit bittersweet."

NASA has stated that while they have a lot of medical equipment onboard the International Space Station, they don't have the full suite of diagnostic instruments needed in this case. In order to receive a full medical workup, the ill crew member needs to visit a hospital on the ground.

"I could never have dreamed of a better crew to share this experience with," said Crew-11 Commander Zena Cardman. "Timing of this departure is unexpected but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other. This includes very much our teams on the ground. You have been incredible support through this whole expedition, this whole journey."

Also, on the Crew-11 mission are JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

Remaining onboard the ISS are Kud-Sverchkov, fellow cosmonaut Sergey Mikayev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams. The three launched aboard a Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thanksgiving.

How They're Getting Home

Crew-11 will travel back to Earth in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft they arrived in back in August 2025.

Undocking is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Wednesday, January 14. Splashdown comes early the following day at 3:40 a.m. Thursday, January 15.

"This moment also highlights the strength of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and our partnership with SpaceX," Fincke wrote in his LinkedIn post. "Dragon provides a safe, reliable, and flexible capability to bring us home on short notice when it's the right thing to do."

The Dragon spacecraft will splashdown off the coast of California. The crew will be met by SpaceX and NASA recovery personnel.

What NASA's Saying

NASA has said that while the evacuation isn't an "emergent evacuation," the space agency opted to exercise caution and return the crew earlier than planned.

The fact that it's never had to be done before is almost unusual.

"In our 25 years history of the space station, we've had many models and Monte Carlo analysis models that have said we should have had a medical evacuation approximately every three years in that 25 year history," NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. James D. Polk said during a January 8 media briefing. "And we've not have one to date."

"Crew member is stable. As we mentioned, we're not electing an emergency deorbit. But obviously, as we've already communicated, the capability to diagnose and treat this properly does not live on the International Space Station," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

How to Watch

NASA will air undocking coverage beginning at 4:45 p.m. January 14 on its website and on NASA TV. Return coverage will resume 2:15 a.m. January 15.

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